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Ottawa not trying to block provinces from getting new rapid COVID-19 testing devices: LeBlanc
BY , Oct 2, 2020 7:26 PM - REPORT AN ERRORFederal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Ottawa is not trying to block provinces from getting access to new rapid COVID-19 testing devices.
Manitoba's Central Services Minister Reg Helwer says Ottawa is forbidding Abbott Laboratories from selling its new ID Now tests directly to the provinces.
Helwer says the federal government is insisting on controlling the supply and allocating shipments to the provinces.
Health Canada recently approved the ID Now tests, which deliver results in about 15 minutes without having to send the specimen to a lab for processing.
Helwer says Premier Brian Pallister has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to ask that provinces be allowed to buy the tests directly.
But LeBlanc says Ottawa's aim is to work collaboratively with all provinces to ensure that all jurisdictions have the supplies they need.
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